Viggo Tarasov: That "fuckin' nobody"... is John Wick. He once was an associate of ours. They call him "Baba Yaga."
Iosef Tarasov: The Boogeyman?
Viggo: Well John wasn't exactly the Boogeyman. He was the one you sent to kill the fucking Boogeyman.
Iosef: Oh.
Viggo: John is a man of focus, commitment, sheer will... something you know very little about. I once saw him kill three men in a bar... with a pencil, with a fucking pencil. Then suddenly one day he asked to leave. It's over a woman, of course. So I made a deal with him. I gave him an impossible task. A job no one could have pulled off. The bodies he buried that day laid the foundation of what we are now.
Iosef Tarasov: The Boogeyman?
Viggo: Well John wasn't exactly the Boogeyman. He was the one you sent to kill the fucking Boogeyman.
Iosef: Oh.
Viggo: John is a man of focus, commitment, sheer will... something you know very little about. I once saw him kill three men in a bar... with a pencil, with a fucking pencil. Then suddenly one day he asked to leave. It's over a woman, of course. So I made a deal with him. I gave him an impossible task. A job no one could have pulled off. The bodies he buried that day laid the foundation of what we are now.
During his quest for revenge and freedom from The High Table, Jonathan "John" Wick himself has proven multiple times why he is called "The Boogeyman" or "Baba Yaga". However, he has encountered numerous others, both friend and foe, who are just as brilliant as him.
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
Recurring Film Characters
- Jonathan "John" Wick himself, born Jardani Jovanovich, is the "Baba Yaga", the most legendary figure in the assassin underworld. When the first film starts, John is retired—having already built up entire criminal empires from the bodies he dropped—but when the idiotic gangster Iosef Tarasov kills his dog, John goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, one that lasts four movies as he's pulled deeper and deeper into the Cycle of Revenge. An undisputed master of Gun Kata and an unrivaled Combat Pragmatist, John kills literally hundreds and hundreds of assassins in countless ways—at one point even killing several assassins with nothing but a pencil—and continues to fend for himself even when faced with a multi-million dollar bounty and the wrath of the High Table. John also proves himself shrewd and cunning as well, whether it be decapitating Viggo's power over New York in one fell swoop by destroying his most valuable resources, to besting fellow master assassin Zero by turning his every trick back on him. At the end, John finally breaks the vicious cycle by throwing a Duel to the Death with his old friend Caine, ensuring Caine and his daughter can leave the criminal life—while simultaneously manipulating the ego of the despicable Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont and goading him into a position where John can shoot him dead. Almost unbreakably tenacious, John Wick and his sense of style redefined the modern action genre, and he stands as possibly the crown king in a World of Badass.
- Winston Scott, the cultured and erudite master of the New York Continental Hotel, possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the underworld and enforces the neutrality of his territory with ruthless efficiency. When the assassin Ms. Perkins violates the rules of hospitality, Winston summarily has her lured into a trap and unceremoniously gunned down. Acting as an arbiter, Winston tries to caution John himself against revenge on Santino D'antonio, only to delay John's execution as long as he can when it fails. Engaging the High Table in open war, Winston then brokers a deal that results in him trying to kill John and barely failing. Upon the ascension of the Marquis de Gramont and death of his concierge and beloved friend Charon, a vengeful Winston concocts a scheme so John can duel the Marquis and regain his freedom along with Winston's status. Entrusting his life to John in the duel, Winston takes no small satisfaction in distracting the Marquis for John's final blow and graciously honors his word to "bring John home", ensuring his friend's tombstone bears his chosen epitaph.
- Charon is the ever-professional concierge for the Continental and Winston's closest friend and ally. Running the Continental with immaculate prestige, Charon provides all sorts of services for any member of the assassin underworld who wish to use the hotel's facilities. When under threat from the High Table's forces, Charon effortlessly disposes of the invading foes with tactical ruthlessness. Loyal to Winston to the end, Charon defends him from the the vile Marquis Vincent de Gramont and dies peacefully when fatally wounded, remarking to his closest friend "It Has Been an Honor".
- "The Bowery King" runs the rackets on the streets of New York while working independently of the Continental—while still co-existing peacefully with it. Surviving an assassination attempt by John, the Bowery King built his empire through a network of other homeless criminals joining him—as well as carrier pigeons for the means of stealth communication too. Providing John shelter from the $7 million bounty, the Bowery King provides him with the weapon that he uses to take out Santino D'Antonio before he can seize control of New York. Punished by both "The Adjudicator" and the assassin Zero with seven slashes for aiding John, the Bowery King has a wounded John rescued when Winston betrays and nearly kills him, convincing John to join him in getting revenge against the High Table. During which, the Bowery King, bolstering himself up with the declaration of "Long Live the King", tends to John's new dog while providing him with another fully loaded weapon; acts as go-between for John and Winston; provides safe transportation to the church; and in the end also accompanies Winston to John's grave to pay final respects to him.
Films
- Original film: Marcus is the skilled mentor of John Wick himself, having worked as a hired assassin for decades to achieve a reputation almost as notable as John's. Approached by Viggo Tarasov with an offer to kill John, Marcus feigns acceptance of the contract hit, only to use Viggo's resources against him as Marcus stalks John for the sole purpose of protecting him from Viggo's other goons. Marcus uses his expert sniping skills to alert John to other assassins and even flatout kill thugs that have John on the ropes, and Marcus further proves his genuine loyalty to John by facing vicious torture from Viggo with snark and resolve. Even when his death by Viggo's torture is at hand, Marcus musters up enough strength to kill several of Viggo's men and force Viggo to gun him down, Marcus using his last words to emphasize that he refuses to go out on any terms but his own.
- Chapter 2: Cassian, bodyguard to Gianna D'Antonio, is a confident and charismatic assassin who is an old acquaintance of John Wick. Upon the death of Gianna, Cassian instantly centers on John for revenge, intending on wiping out all responsible for his ward's death. Cassian hunts John to New York, matching wits, guns and blades with John and proving a match even for the other talented assassin.
- Chapter 3 – Parabellum: The Shinobi are the Co-Dragons to the ruthless assassin Zero, matching and even exceeding their master in sheer tenacity and honor. Helping Zero to tactically wipe out enemies of the Continental and slaying enemy assassins before they can touch John Wick, the two find their finest moments when they challenge John Wick to a direct fight. Ambushing Wick and getting him into a position where they can kill him, the Shinobi instead elect to spare his life for the honor and thrill of fighting Wick, and their sense of fair play leads to John Wick returning the favor and sparing their lives out of mutual respect.
- Chapter 4:
- Caine is an old friend of John's and a consummate Blind Weaponmaster. Forced back into the job when the Marquis leverages his daughter's life against him, Caine nevertheless proves himself the Marquis' most competent asset. During the attack on the Osaka Continental, Caine booby-traps an entire room with doorbell alarms, then effortlessly takes out a bunch of assassins who blindly flounder into his trap. Despising unnecessary bloodshed and sparing those he can, Caine nevertheless murders the head of the Osaka Continental when he rejects his mercy, then calmly tells the man's daughter she can seek him out whenever she wants a chance for revenge. When the Marquis tries to sabotage John's advent to his Duel to the Death, Caine works behind the Marquis' back to help John to his destination to ensure his daughter has a chance to survive, joining his old friend for an Enemy Mine that sees dozens of assassins taken down by the two.
- Mr. Nobody is a cheerful, friendly assassin known for his legendary tracking skills. Employed by the High Table to kill John, Mr. Nobody tracks him down and effortlessly disposes of the other assassins after him, increasing the bounty. Teaming up with John and Caine to kill the abhorrent Killa Harkan, Mr. Nobody almost comes within arms length of killing John before being stopped by Caine. Preying on the Marquis' cowardice, Mr Nobody manages to arrange John's bounty to be of an astronomical number, repeatedly killing any assassin that gets in his way. Despite being Only in It for the Money, Mr. Nobody stops his quest to kill John after the latter saved his dog's life from the vicious Chidi, with Mr. Nobody executing the brute and watching John's duel with respect.
- Katia, adoptive sister of John himself, is the unwilling new leader of the Ruska Roma with her father having been murdered by the excesses of the brutal Marquis de Gramont. Enraged at John for bringing de Gramont's wrath upon her people, Katia nearly murders him before hearing John's plan. Coming up with her own, Katia demands the life of her father's murderer Killa Harkan as John's price to return to the Ruska Roma. Katia promptly informs Killa of John's plan, knowing his arrogance and John's skill will handle the rest for her. Promptly honoring her word, Katia sends her brother to achieve their final vengeance upon the Marquis.
Other Media
- Comic Series:
- This version of John Wick proves to be just as dangerous a Combat Pragmatist as his film counterpart. Traveling to Texas to kill the Three Bills, John ambushes one of them while he's trying to kill Charon, killing his target and neutralizing the others non-lethally before leaving them at Charon's mercy. John then convinces the Bills' boss Maria to help him play the other two against each other. John tricks the Bill' men into fighting one another before killing off the rest and sending the Bills on the run. When the Bills release the psychopathic Calamity to kill him, John quickly acquires guns from their men and confronts them. When Calamity backs him into a corner by taking hostages, John calls Maria, agreeing to work for her in exchange for her help which allows him to kill Calamity and the Bills.
- Maria is a charming Russian gangster working out of Texas. When John Wick starts attacking a group of her associates called the Three Bills, Maria starts scheming to make John work for her as a hitman. To this end, she allows John to lead the Bills into a trap and then saves them in exchange for markers. She then uses the markers to force them to release the violent Calamity from prison in order to kill John. When Calamity backs John into a corner by taking hostages, Maria saves the hostages, allowing John to kill Calamity and the Bills in exchange for him working for her.
